Thread: WA-State bucks licensing tide; Driving privileges for illega

State bucks licensing tide; Driving privileges for illegal immigrants - Initiative effort fails again; Washington to remain among 4 holdout states not screening for legal status

The Seattle Times
July 19, 2009 Sunday
Lornet Turnbull, Seattle Times staff reporter

The number of states where illegal immigrants can still obtain driver's licenses has been on a gradual downshift in recent years, leaving only four that still allow it including Washington.

Hawaii and New Mexico also don't require motorists to prove they are in the U.S. legally before issuing them a driver's license or ID card, and Utah uses a two-tiered system that grants illegal immigrants driver cards that can't be used as ID.

Washington holds its place in this small and diminishing fraternity despite persistent efforts to change state law. This year, for the fourth year in a row, a citizens' initiative to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

And in the Legislature, the most recent bill to exclude illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses was introduced last year but never received a single hearing.

A driver's license is the most basic form of identification used for everything from applying for government services to boarding domestic airline flights. The state Department of Licensing issues more than 1 million each year.

Many believe Washington's law remains unchanged in large part because the state's agricultural industry employs large numbers of illegal immigrants who must get themselves to and from work.

They also cite a more accommodating attitude in Washington toward all immigrants and characterize Republican attempts over the years to tighten licensing requirements as mostly symbolic.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Chris Gregoire said she would sign a bill that denies driver's licenses to illegal immigrants if it came across her desk, but said the Legislature would have to initiate the change.

That's unlikely to happen anytime soon, because House Democrats say they don't see a problem with the state's licensing program.

Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, who sponsored legislation in 2008 to change the law, does.

He thinks that screening motorists for such an important form of ID "should be a no-brainer one of the easy things we can do to shore up security."

His position squares with that of the federal Department of Homeland Security, which says that verifying a person's identity, Social Security number and legal presence in the U.S. makes it more difficult for criminals to obtain state-issued ID cards.

Zarelli thinks taking on the driver's-license question in this state raises a greater immigration debate one "those on the other side of the aisle are not willing to have."

"It's less about security and more about the legal-vs.-illegal issue for a lot of Democrats," Zarelli said.

Oregon makes shift

Only four years ago, illegal immigrants could obtain driver's licenses in 10 states including neighboring Oregon. But Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered that changed last year after federal officials told him Oregon had become a magnet for driver's-license fraud.

One by one, other states have taken a similar path.

As the last state east of the Rockies to still offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Maryland in recent years found itself flooded with applicants from across the country. It changed its law last month.

While some states bowed to political pressure, others moved to comply with REAL ID, a 2005 federal law. It seeks to implement recommendations of the 9/11 Commission by requiring states to verify that driver's-license applicants are either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

The Obama administration is pushing a measure in Congress that would "fix" the law by reversing some of its provisions and making it cheaper to put in place.

Washington was among 13 states that opted out of complying with REAL ID, calling it an unfunded mandate. Instead, the state Department of Licensing worked with Homeland Security to pilot an enhanced driver's license that uses facial-recognition technology and is available only to citizens.

Only months after the state began offering those licenses last year, U.S. officials brought what appear to be the first aggravated-identity-theft charges against a Mexican national here who allegedly represented himself as a U.S. citizen in order to obtain the enhanced license.

A traffic-safety issue

Advocates for immigrants say allowing those illegally in the country to obtain a regular driver's license is a safety issue as well as a humanitarian one.

Many illegal immigrants including those in the state's sprawling agriculture industry depend on driving to remain employed.

"When we look at the more than 100,000 agricultural jobs in the high season ... you can imagine the impact that (denying them licenses) would have on the state's agricultural industry," said state Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle.

"Our Department of Licensing should not be doing the work of ICE," she added, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Advocates also say many illegal immigrants are likely to drive with or without a license, and that those who are licensed at least have passed a driving test and are required to have automobile insurance.

Two years ago, the state closed a loophole that allowed people from other states to get driver's licenses here.

The change came after authorities busted a ring of illegal immigrants who were selling Washington driver's licenses for hundreds of dollars to out-of-state drivers most of them also illegal immigrants.

Cutting off out-of-state drivers is not enough, says RespectWashington.org, the group behind the failed attempts to exclude illegal immigrants from getting licensed. It says Gregoire could do more to push for change and accuses state Democrats of pandering to illegal immigrants and their advocates.

"Our government is abusing our trust in them by accommodating an illegal population in this state," said Craig Keller, chairman of the group.

Issuing licenses to those who are in this country illegally, he said, "contributes to a massive criminal network of ID theft, which is not a victimless crime."

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... es19m.html

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 10&start=7

State bucks licensing tide; Driving privileges for illegal immigrants - Initiative effort fails again; Washington to remain among 4 holdout states not screening for legal status

The Seattle Times
July 19, 2009 Sunday
Lornet Turnbull, Seattle Times staff reporter

The number of states where illegal immigrants can still obtain driver's licenses has been on a gradual downshift in recent years, leaving only four that still allow it including Washington.

Hawaii and New Mexico also don't require motorists to prove they are in the U.S. legally before issuing them a driver's license or ID card, and Utah uses a two-tiered system that grants illegal immigrants driver cards that can't be used as ID.

Washington holds its place in this small and diminishing fraternity despite persistent efforts to change state law. This year, for the fourth year in a row, a citizens' initiative to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

And in the Legislature, the most recent bill to exclude illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses was introduced last year but never received a single hearing.

A driver's license is the most basic form of identification used for everything from applying for government services to boarding domestic airline flights. The state Department of Licensing issues more than 1 million each year.

Many believe Washington's law remains unchanged in large part because the state's agricultural industry employs large numbers of illegal immigrants who must get themselves to and from work.

They also cite a more accommodating attitude in Washington toward all immigrants and characterize Republican attempts over the years to tighten licensing requirements as mostly symbolic.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Chris Gregoire said she would sign a bill that denies driver's licenses to illegal immigrants if it came across her desk, but said the Legislature would have to initiate the change.

That's unlikely to happen anytime soon, because House Democrats say they don't see a problem with the state's licensing program.

Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, who sponsored legislation in 2008 to change the law, does.

He thinks that screening motorists for such an important form of ID "should be a no-brainer one of the easy things we can do to shore up security."

His position squares with that of the federal Department of Homeland Security, which says that verifying a person's identity, Social Security number and legal presence in the U.S. makes it more difficult for criminals to obtain state-issued ID cards.

Zarelli thinks taking on the driver's-license question in this state raises a greater immigration debate one "those on the other side of the aisle are not willing to have."

"It's less about security and more about the legal-vs.-illegal issue for a lot of Democrats," Zarelli said.

Oregon makes shift

Only four years ago, illegal immigrants could obtain driver's licenses in 10 states including neighboring Oregon. But Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered that changed last year after federal officials told him Oregon had become a magnet for driver's-license fraud.

One by one, other states have taken a similar path.

As the last state east of the Rockies to still offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Maryland in recent years found itself flooded with applicants from across the country. It changed its law last month.

While some states bowed to political pressure, others moved to comply with REAL ID, a 2005 federal law. It seeks to implement recommendations of the 9/11 Commission by requiring states to verify that driver's-license applicants are either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

The Obama administration is pushing a measure in Congress that would "fix" the law by reversing some of its provisions and making it cheaper to put in place.

Washington was among 13 states that opted out of complying with REAL ID, calling it an unfunded mandate. Instead, the state Department of Licensing worked with Homeland Security to pilot an enhanced driver's license that uses facial-recognition technology and is available only to citizens.

Only months after the state began offering those licenses last year, U.S. officials brought what appear to be the first aggravated-identity-theft charges against a Mexican national here who allegedly represented himself as a U.S. citizen in order to obtain the enhanced license.

A traffic-safety issue

Advocates for immigrants say allowing those illegally in the country to obtain a regular driver's license is a safety issue as well as a humanitarian one.

Many illegal immigrants including those in the state's sprawling agriculture industry depend on driving to remain employed.

"When we look at the more than 100,000 agricultural jobs in the high season ... you can imagine the impact that (denying them licenses) would have on the state's agricultural industry," said state Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle.

"Our Department of Licensing should not be doing the work of ICE," she added, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Advocates also say many illegal immigrants are likely to drive with or without a license, and that those who are licensed at least have passed a driving test and are required to have automobile insurance.

Two years ago, the state closed a loophole that allowed people from other states to get driver's licenses here.

The change came after authorities busted a ring of illegal immigrants who were selling Washington driver's licenses for hundreds of dollars to out-of-state drivers most of them also illegal immigrants.

Cutting off out-of-state drivers is not enough, says RespectWashington.org, the group behind the failed attempts to exclude illegal immigrants from getting licensed. It says Gregoire could do more to push for change and accuses state Democrats of pandering to illegal immigrants and their advocates.

"Our government is abusing our trust in them by accommodating an illegal population in this state," said Craig Keller, chairman of the group.

Issuing licenses to those who are in this country illegally, he said, "contributes to a massive criminal network of ID theft, which is not a victimless crime."

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... es19m.html

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 10&start=7

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